New York International Auto Show: Highlights and Must-Sees

The 2014 New York International Auto Show: The Best Mall in The Car Business

Who doesn’t love a trip to the mall? It’s a great place to shop, compare and size up your needs, all under one roof. It’s the same with the New York International Auto Show (a virtual tour is here).

Every car you would like to see is under one roof, through April 27, 2014. There is no sales pressure and information specialists are on hand to answer questions.

And, the auto show is where the manufacturers come to show off: they turn up the show power to unveil their newest models, to create excitement around new innovations and make their big announcements. If you or anyone you know is in the market for a car, an auto show ticket may be the best $15 you’ll ever spend.

We just came back from the New York Auto Show and wow, there was a lot to see.

The celebration has been under way for a while now, but many of us are just getting a first peek at the gorgeous redesign of this classic car: the hatchback has made a comeback in the auto industry in general and on the Mustang in particular. And with good reason: it’s gorgeous looking, practical and comfortable.

Just in time for spring fever, Mazda celebrates the heritage of its smallest but sexiest car, the convertible Miata. The 25th anniversary edition reminds sometimes, it’s important to let your hair down and enjoy the sunshine.

Game Changing Innovation

Mazda Heads Up Display standard: Mazda announced earlier this year that they will implement heads up display in its models; this is key: HUD puts important information in the driver’s line of sight, keeping her eyes on the road and reducing ‘glance time.’ HUD is also standard in the new Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan and making its way into many other models.

Land Rover takes the HUD concept even further with the ‘transparent hood’ concept, which allows the driver to see the terrain right in front of the car, bumps, divots and all. Especially good for off-roading or parking structure navigation.

Smart Sensors

The redesigned Infiniti QX80 SUV features cutting edge technology

Infiniti, which introduced the Q70 sedan and QX80 SUV, is on the forefront of smart sensor technology, a series of cameras and sensors that monitor traffic and objects in front of you to sense when you are in danger of a crash and applying brakes or lane-keeping technology to keep you safe.

Free Fuel

Think of it as the gas card on steroids: Last spring Hyundai announced the Tucson Fuel Cell car would be coming to dealerships this summer; as part of the incentive, the company is only leasing the cars, but the lease price ($499 a month) includes free refueling at designated stations. Recently, Nissan announced a similar program that provides Nissan Leaf EV buyers with free charging cards for electric charging at designated stations.

Your Own Personal Wifi Hotspot

The 2015 Chrysler 200 is its own wifi hot spot

Auto manufacturers, realizing that the need for wifi had customers roaming around town in search of a signal, found a simple solution: turn the car into a hotspot. General Motors ramped up the idea by making nearly every model wifi-enabled for the 2015 model year (and with flexible short term programs from AT&T), and Chrysler began enabling cars last year. What a refreshing, peaceful feeling to have everyone in your car working away on their homework while on vacation (of course that’s why your kids will love this, right?).

Apple’s Car Play

Volvo is among the first to roll out Car Play from Apple and has made the Car Play demonstration central to its NY Auto Show experience; if you’re a devotee or iPhone addict, be sure to stop by and get a demonstration. Car Play (compatible with Applie iPhone 5 models only) is also available in Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari, and will be rolling out to other manufacturers soon.

Entry Level Luxury

The Aston Martin Vantage: Entry-level luxury starting at $100K

Last year Mercedes introduced the CLA, BMW introduced the 320i and now Audi has the A3, each with a starting price tag under $30,000. If your threshold for entry-level luxury is a little higher, try the Aston Martin Vantage GT, the first AM to be priced under $100K.

Favorites, Refreshed

The redesigned 2015 Toyota Camry

Every classic needs updating; this year Toyota updated the Camry, Subaru updated the Outback, Volkswagen updated the Golf with a diesel turbo wagon edition, the Kia Sedona minivan has been redesigned with lots of great new features and a more muscular, modern look. Jeep refreshed its small SUV line with the Renegade, as did Chevrolet, by bringing the Trax to the US from overseas. Chrysler introduced the completely redesigned

Scotty Reiss

Journalist, jewelry maker and mom, Scotty has written for the New York Times, Town & Country, Entrepreneur, Adweek, and TravelingMom, among others, and co-authored Stew Leonard, My Story, a biography of the founder of the iconic grocery company Stew Leonard’s. Her love of cars started when her father insisted she learn to change the oil in her MG Midget, but now it mostly plays out in the many road trips taken with her family.

About Scotty Reiss

Journalist, jewelry maker and mom, Scotty has written for the New York Times, Town & Country, Entrepreneur, Adweek, and TravelingMom, among others, and co-authored Stew Leonard, My Story, a biography of the founder of the iconic grocery company Stew Leonard’s. Her love of cars started when her father insisted she learn to change the oil in her MG Midget, but now it mostly plays out in the many road trips taken with her family.